


Invader Sister

by mademoisellePlume, Vinnocent



Series: Teen Titans: Morph! [2]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, DCU, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Abandonment, Abusive Relationships, Blood and Gore, Book 1: The Invasion, Episode: s01e02 Sisters, Ethics, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Gen, Implied/Referenced Anthropophogy, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-04-22
Packaged: 2018-01-20 10:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1506362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mademoisellePlume/pseuds/mademoisellePlume, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnocent/pseuds/Vinnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Titans try to discover the details of the Yeerk Invasion, Elfangor is purposefully obstinate and matters are further complicated by an unexpected visitor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Robin was scowling over the newspaper in the kitchen while Beast Boy fried tofu and Cyborg swore up and down that he was going to leave again when Starfire moped into the room. "Wow, you look like Raven," said Cyborg. "You feeling okay?"

"I am fine," Starfire sighed.

Beast Boy held out the pan to her. "Want some tofu?" he asked hopefully.

"Beast Boy, nobody wants your gross rabbit food!" Cyborg argued as Starfire took a slice and nibbled at it half-heartedly. In reply, Beast Boy grew rabbit ears and made a face at him.

Starfire sat at the counter by Robin. "What is in your news paper, Robin?"

"The police covered up the aliens at the construction site," he grumbled. "But not the criminal activity at the factory."

Starfire stopped nibbling. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know." Robin put the paper down. "Has your Andalite said anything?"

Starfire huffed. "He is not _my_ Andalite. And no. He'll hardly let me treat him. He is not talking much except to demand peace and to--" She sighed. "And to be angry."

"Mad at you?" gasped Cyborg. "Who could be mad at you? Especially after you saved his life."

"Not mad at me," she said quickly. "Just… mad. I think." She looked away.

Something wasn't right, and Robin could smell it. "You knew about these aliens, right? What can you tell us about them?"

Slowly, Starfire glanced guiltily over her shoulder at Beast Boy.

Robin frowned and glanced to Cyborg, who only shrugged. He leaned forward in what he hoped was a supportive manner. "Star?" Robin asked. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"As I said last night, I do not know what the very large creature was. But… But Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, our guest, is an Andalite warrior. They are at war with the Yeerks, who they gave much technology to under the promise that the Yeerks would comply with Andalite laws and restrictions. The Yeerks escaped. With their newfound freedom, they took many hosts…" Starfire looked incredibly sad. "It seems not all of them were willing."

"Wait, hosts?" said Beast Boy, putting his pan of tofu aside.

Starfire fidgeted with the soy lump still in her hand, pulling pieces off like she was plucking petals off a flower. "Yes. The Yeerks come from the Yeerk homeworld, where they live in large communities and spend their lives swimming in nutritious pools. They look similar to the slugs here on earth. They have a semi-symbiotic relationship with the Gedd that live on their homeworld. Gedd are barely sentient and poorly evolved. When they fall into the pools, or, at this time, are brought to the pools and have their heads pushed under… A Yeerk will crawl into the Gedd's ear canal and take control of their brain."

"WHAT?!" cried Beast Boy.

"How on earth is that 'semi-symbiotic'?" Cyborg demanded. "It sounds evil!"

Starfire tensed, closing up her arms and legs and looking down at her hands. "It is possible that the Gedd may not have been capable of surviving this long without such an evolutionary turn. You must understand… They can hardly feed themselves."

"And the Gedd were those bladed things?" asked Robin.

"No," said Starfire. "Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul has informed me that those are Hork-Bajir."

Beast Boy looked sick. "Then… the bugs? They were sentient?"

Starfire turned to him. She stood up and threw the slice of tofu away. "No," she said at last. "Those are Taxxons. But… But they are also semi-sentient."

Beast Boy's hand flew to his mouth. "Oh god! No, I--! I didn't mean to! I thought that they were--! I mean they--!"

"You weren't the only one who killed one," Robin reminded him gently. "And as soon as they were injured, they turned on each other. While that doesn't make what we did right, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself."

Starfire nodded. "The Taxxons are born hungry. All they do for their entire lives is devour, and they are never satisfied. Cannibalism is frequent, and death is a relief. When the Yeerks came to their world, most of them welcomed a second party who could reign in their instincts." She crossed her arms in front of her. "To some degree."

"So they were Yeerks?" asked Cyborg.

Starfire nodded. "They were all Yeerks. Taxxon-Controllers. Hork-Bajir Controllers. Human-Controllers."

"Humans?" said Cyborg.

Beast Boy nodded, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "Yeah," he sniffed. "We saw them when we first arrived, but they didn't stick around. They were just standing around watching. Not your usual bystanders."

Robin scowled. "I don't remember any alien host recruitment drives lately."

Starfire shook her head. "No. As I said, many are not voluntary. The Yeerks in power feel… entitled to the bodies of others, and they teach this entitlement to each new generation. Born in pools on Yeerk spacecraft, they have no knowledge of anything else."

"That's not an excuse for slavery," Cyborg said bluntly.

"No, it is not," she agreed stiffly.

Robin lifted the newspaper, bringing the article to their attention. "Is it possible for them to take members of the police?"

She lowered her gaze again. "It is _possible_."

"What are we gonna do?" asked Beast Boy.

Robin stood and turned to Cyborg. "We'll have to figure out some new detection systems. It's possible Raven could help, but don't bother her while she's still healing up. I'll contact other heroes about it."

Starfire nodded, and began to leave. "I should probably check on our guest," she said.

"Star?" Robin caught up to her in the hall. "Hey, you've had a rough day. If you can't handle him on your own, don't be afraid to get one of us to help."

Starfire frowned and looked aside. "Thank you, Robin. You are a good friend."

"You know, there's a fireworks show tonight. A real one, not a cover story," he said. "I'm sure you and Beast Boy could use some cheering up. Let's all get out of here tonight. Get some air."

Starfire smiled shyly. "I would like that very much."


	2. Chapter 2

"It is a shame that Beast Boy and Cyborg did not wish to come," said Starfire.

"I think their preferred method of relaxation is the game console," Robin explained. Of course, he didn't tell her about the kissy faces Cyborg and Beast Boy had started making at him as soon as he admitted to inviting her first. He also didn't mention how the teasing had been half-hearted at best. No one had meant for the fight last night to get so out of hand, and eventually they'd have to take responsibility for that. In the meantime, it hung over them like a cloud.

Starfire smiled up at the bursting display, her elbows resting forward on the ferris wheel carriage. "It's beautiful," she said wistfully. "Tell me again what they are called?"

"Fireworks," said Robin. He sat leaned back in the carriage, watching her.

Starfire frowned. "On my home planet, such explosions would mean the Gordanians were attacking."

Robin frowned. "This isn't about that. It's a celebration."

She sat up in her seat. "A celebration of what?"

Robin shrugged. "The season? People being happy?" He smiled at her. "Even with what might be going on, people can still be happy."

Starfire frowned and looked out at the fireworks. "You think that, if they knew of Yeerk presence, the people here would be unhappy?"

"Well, yeah," said Robin. He watched her carefully. "Is this about the Andalite?"

Starfire tensed. "What about him?"

"I don't mean to push or anything but… you don't seem to get along."

Starfire sighed. "No. When our second planet was being attacked, the Andalites were our closest neighbors. We begged for help, but they would not come. They said that we had brought the various forces of the Citadel with us, and therefore it was not their place. Then, they became the reason for the Yeerk uprising. They have called us lazy and… and many other things for staying to ourselves and focusing on our defenses, eventually making peace… by more dire means, in a desperate time."

Robin looked skeptical. "Dire means? Did y-- Did the Tamaraneans make an alliance?"

Starfire looked down at her hands. "Yes."

"With the Yeerks?"

Starfire jumped. Then, embarrassed, she settled back into her seat. "No!" she insisted. "No, never! That did not happen!"

Robin raised his hands. "Sorry. I didn't mean anything. I'm just trying to get my head around it all. It seemed like… you don't entirely disfavor them."

Starfire was quiet for a moment. She closed her eyes and, briefly, he thought she'd fallen asleep. Finally, she opened them again. "Do you like to be held accountable for the actions of your government and military? Not every Yeerk is an invader. Not every Andalite will abandon you." Quietly, she mumbled, "Not every Tamaranean…"

Robin frowned. "As true as that might be, Elfangor clearly upsets you."

She looked away. "It was a long time ago. I do not think he is quite old enough to have been a participant in the origin of either event. He knows only what he knows, and… and whoever he may be, he did not deserve to be devoured." The fireworks began bursting in earnest.

"We killed a lot of people, saving that one person," said Robin. "Most of us haven't… We've never done that before."

She turned toward him urgently. "If I could go back and redo it, I would try to find another way. But I do _not_ regret saving him. Do you?"

Robin didn't get the chance to reply as some kind of robotic flying squid appeared from nowhere and grabbed up a shrieking an terrified Starfire. "STARFIRE!" he shouted, but she was already halfway across the bay. Robin pulled a phone from his belt while descending the the wheel as quickly as possible.

"Hey!" the teenage operator shouted up at him. "You can't do that! It's dangerous!"

Robin rolled his eyes.

\-- --

Half an hour later, the Titans returned to the Tower with an ecstatic Starfire supporting the weight of a still-limping and definitely _not_ ecstatic Raven. "Come, friends!" she proclaimed. "I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the poem of gratitude! All six thousand verses."

Raven suddenly became a lot heavier. "Uh… Starfire…"

"I see you haven't changed a bit."

That was when Starfire realized there were two other people in the room. The Andalite, whose speckled trail of blue blood stains showed that he had moved himself to the main room, and her sister. <Please get her away from me,> said the irritated Prince Elfangor.

Blackfire ignored him. "When we were little, I was always rescuing Starfire."

Starfire shrieked with joy and, once certain that Raven could stand on her own, threw herself into her sister's arms. "SISTER!" she cried joyously.

Once separated, Blackfire held up a large green jewel, smirking. "Brought you a present."

Starfire gaped. "A Centauri moon diamond? Where did you get--?"

"On the Centauri moons, of course," Blackfire snickered. She fastened the gem around Starfire's neck. "Oh look! It matches your eyes!" she told a sister who was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Starfire, this is all very nice," said Raven. "But I think I would like to sit. On the couch. Way over there."

Starfire promptly stopped grinning. "Oh! Of course! Let me help you!" She returned to Raven's side and pulled Raven's arm around her shoulder again.

"Wait," Blackfire drawled. "Are these the Titans you told me all about in your transmissions? Let me guess…" She approached the group and pressed a finger toward Cyborg. "Cyborg!"

"Pleased to meet you, Little Lady," he said politely, holding out a hand as big as her head.

She shook it. And crushed it.

Cyborg laughed in surprise. "Little lady, big handshake!" he laughed. "Well, alright!"

Blackfire smirked again and continued down the row. "Beast Boy! What's up?!" she greeted the small, green, elfin boy.

"Nothing but the ceiling, baby!" he teased, and Blackfire giggled.

"Ahahaha! Good one!"

"See?" he called to Raven as Starfire lowered her onto the couch, near where Elfangor was laying. " _She_ thinks I'm funny."

"Statistically, I suppose, someone has to," Raven drawled, ignoring the Andalite eye turned toward her.

"And you must be Robin," Blackfire purred, and Starfire was immediately at attention. Blackfire grabbed at his costume eagerly. "Oh, I am loving this cape! It's positively luscious!"

"Thanks," he said. "It's a high-density polymerized titanium. Ten times stronger than steel." And now Elfangor was paying attention as well.

"Fascinating!" she purred while Starfire gaped an entirely different sort of gape than the gape she'd gaped when she'd been given the jewel. "And this mask makes you look very mysterious," she said, leaning much more close than she actually needed to in order to inspect the mask.

"So!" Starfire suddenly interrupted, shoving in between the two. "Beloved sister! What brings you to Earth?!"

"I was in the quadrant," Blackfire said, pulling away. "Thought I'd see if Earthlings like to party." She dropped on the couch next to Raven, and Elfangor watched her carefully with three eyes. "I like that gemstone on your Ajna chakra."

Raven glanced at her curiously. "You… know about chakras?"

"I got _way_ into meditation on Altara Prime." She returned her attention to Starfire. "Besides, I needed a rest. Nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here."

The boys were immediately upon her.

"Black hole?" demanded Robin.

"No way!" said Cyborg.

"Cool!" cried Beast Boy.

Blackfire grinned victoriously. "Okay, I'm cruising through the Draconis Nebula, and--"

"Sister!"

<The Draconis Nebula is rife with black holes,> Elfangor interrupted. <Which is why it is illegal to travel there, even for Tamaranians. If you encountered a black hole there, it is because you were trying to.>

Blackfire scowled. "It was just a little bit of fun, old man. Don't get your tail twisted." She leaned her head back to look at Robin. "By the way, someone called 'Superman' left a message for you upstairs."

"You were in the command room?" Robin asked, suspicious.

"I didn't _know_ it was the command room," Blackfire pouted. "I was just trying to find my way around, looking for my sister. You're not mad at me, are you?"

Robin frowned. "Probably not," he said, turning to leave as Blackfire continued bragging to the others. He glanced at Elfangor. "Do you need to be moved?" he asked, but he received no reply. Shrugging, he headed to the command room.

After listening to Superman's message and ensuring that nothing sensitive had been said in front of Blackfire and that she had not accessed the tech, Robin reconnected to Superman. "Hello? Superman?"

"Robin!" Superman greeted from the screen, his face smiling happily down on him, still naturally intimidating. "I received your call here at League Headquarters, but you weren't home when I called back."

"Yeah, there was… We were heroing," Robin said awkwardly. He wasn't used to talking to other JLA members, but he couldn't take this to Batman. Not now.

"What's this about?" asked Superman.

Robin toed a blue stain on the floor. "There was an incident last night at a construction--"

"I heard!" Superman said, suddenly concerned. "Your team was there, wasn't it?"

Robin's mind whirled, though his face was carefully blank. The newspaper had made no mention of them at the construction site, only that teenagers had been there, supposedly shooting off fireworks. And Superman lived in Metropolis. Why would he be checking up on their local news? Still, if he knew… "Yes, sir," Robin said, sliding his foot over the blue stain on the carpet to hide it from the cameras.

"I heard there were teenagers on site. Were you able to detain them?"

Since when did they detain bystanders? "No, sir. We never noticed any humans," he lied.

"So the activity _was_ extra-terrestrial in origin?"

"Yes, sir. There was a large, tentacled creature, many bladed reptile beings, and many large carnivorous caterpillar-like creatures."

"You've identified them?"

Robin knew that a simple "no" would be suspicious. "Not yet, sir. We've tried asking Starfire, but she says that, since they have left, there is no reason to get involved. She refuses to identify them."

"And you detained no other creatures?"

"Starfire attempted to save a blue centaur-like being, but it died during the flight. It appeared to have been badly damaged."

Sueperman frowned. "You said they left?"

"Yes, sir. We were forced to retreat when one of the creatures took a chunk out of Raven's leg. She has been able to heal herself, but the leg is still weak. When Cyborg and I returned this morning, there was nothing left. No sign anyone had been there." Robin swallowed. "That's why I contacted the JLA, sir. I was hoping you could verify?"

And that was the measure of it. If what Starfire had said about them was true, then what little Elfangor said fit right in. They were an invading species, and they'd decided to take Earth. There was no way they were leaving after one small battle in which they had been the victors.

Superman checked the computers. "Yes, I see here that three ships descended into your area and then left soon after. The computer was not able to identify them. I'll be sure to set a program to alert us the next time something like that happens."

 _There's already an alert for that,_ thought Robin. "Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, but I have to go now. There's family visiting."

"I understand," said Superman. "Robin? I just wanted to say that I'm proud of what a large part of your community y--" Robin turned the computer off.

After taking a minute to gather his wits, he rejoined the others in the main room where Blackfire was entertaining Cyborg and Beast Boy with stories of adventure while Starfire did her best with Elfangor's wounds. "Wow, really?!" Blackfire exclaimed in response to something Beast Boy had said. "Yeerks _here_?"

"Yes," snapped Robin. "And Blackfire's the last person anyone is going to tell about it."

"What?" croaked Beast Boy. "What's going on?"

"JLA has been compromised. From this point on, we trust no one." He pointed to Elfangor on the floor. "And he needs to be kept away from windows and cameras. Evidence of him needs to be cleaned up, and I don't want to see you wandering unaccompanied again."

"Compromised?" said Cyborg. "What happened?!"

Robin sighed. "Superman is participating in the cover-up. There's no reason for him to do that unless…" Robin found a suddenly large lump in his throat. Somehow, he forced himself to say, "Unless he's infested."

"That is not possible!" Starfire objected. "Superman is a hero!"

<Now he's a Hero-Controller,> said Elfangor.

"That's not helpful," Raven chastised.

"Brain-stealing aliens are secretly invading the planet, and we're alone?" Beast Boy sat on the carpet, pulling his knees up. Starfire sat next to him.

Robin turned to Cyborg. "We need to ensure that all our systems are hack-proof. Do not completely shut JLA out, or they'll become suspicious. But while I don't think that Superman can hack us, I know that JLA _can_. Kick them out of everywhere they shouldn't be. Good and hard."

As Cyborg hurried off, Robin jabbed a finger at Elfangor. "And I mean what I said. They need to think you died on the way over here, or they'll _know_ that we know. No more wandering. No snooping. I don't care if you want to talk to us or not, but you will not compromise our safety. We'll find a way to get you back to your homeworld as soon as--"

"I can do it!" Blackfire volunteered! All eyes turned toward her. Well, most of them.

"You can?" asked Beast Boy.

"Well, sure!" she bragged. "Where do you think I came from? His planet isn't _too_ far from my home. If the Yeerks think he's dead, they have no reason to suspect _my_ ship. As long as he's not going to croak anytime soon, I can deliver him back there."

<Why not soon?> Elfangor demanded, eyes narrowed.

"Rude!" Blackfire proclaimed with mock horror. "You're not the most important person here." She floated over to Starfire and petted her hair adoringly. "I came all this way to see my sister, and I'm not leaving until I have a proper visit. If you're no longer an emergency, then you can wait." She pouted at him. "You do want to go, don't you? No offense, but you seem to be as upset by my sister as she" She glanced at Starfire's brow. "and her little friends are of _you_."

Elfangor seemed to hesitate, but then he nodded. <When you are available, then.> His stalk eyes looked over the heroes. <There is a bank of windows just there. If you wish to keep me out of view, then I request help returning to the space allocated for me.>

"I can do it," Starfire said, batting her sister's hand away before pushing up from the floor.

"I do hope you have a nice indoor garden for him if he must stay away from windows," Blackfire teased. "Can't set off that _sensitive_ Andalite claustrophobia."

The look Elfangor gave her was not kind. <I will be fine,> he said, raising on shaking feet and ignoring the blue that came trickling from his agitated wound.

"Oh, no!" cried Starfire. "Just let me--"

<Your hands have been on me enough today,> he said, batting her away. <I require only accompaniment as your Robin instructed.> Starfire pouted, but obeyed. Nonetheless, they weren't halfway across the room before she began to help hold him up.

Robin turned back to the remainder. "Beast Boy, please help Raven back to her room. I'll find a room for Blackfire and then help go help Cyborg with the computers."

Blackfire watched the other two Titans leave, then pouted. "I wouldn't want to be any trouble. I'm sure I could share a room."

"Starfire likes her privacy," Robin said, leading the way to the elevator.

Blackfire glowered. "Right. Starfire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the chapters where I begin to blend in bits of other DCU. This version of of the Justice League is largely inspired by the Young Justice cartoon. There will be more pieces inspired by Young Justice, as well as the Teen Titans comics of the 80s, the Static Shock cartoon, and pre-52 Blue Beetle comics (3rd gen). These fics DO take place within the universe of the Teen Titans cartoon, and I take care not to remove any world building of the cartoon, but I've added in all these extras to make the world larger. The very fact that an alien invasion is taking place necessitates a larger world, because one of the first questions you have to ask is "How does the existence of superheroes change the Yeerks' tactics?" Immediately, the world begins to expand outside of the Titans.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Blackfire was greeted with, "You are wearing our clothes." She turned to see what appeared to be Starfire pouting on the couch.

"Don't you think I look good, Fizzy?" Blackfire teased. "I don't think my dear, sweet sister will mind me borrowing her look."

"The question is why you would want to. We recall you mocking her clothes, once upon a time."

"'We'?" she repeated. "Please, I know she's asleep in there. You'd be much less direct with me otherwise." She leaned over the couch and purred at him, "My sister _adores_ me." She ruffled Starfire's hair. "And so does everyone here."

"She may have forgiven you, but I have not."

Blackfire scoffed. "And what forgiveness would I want from you?"

He narrowed Starfire's eyes at her. "You _sold_ her."

"And you crawled into her," Blackfire drawled. "Which you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise, so I see no reason why I owe you any apology, but I _do_ see how you might owe me a thank you."

"You are disgusting."

"You're awfully judgmental for a subvisser, aren't you?" she asked, and Starfire visibly stiffened. "Phyzzon 355, right? I just had to look up that name after my _dear_ sister fawned so much over her newfound friend. You were a great leader. Covered in a glorious rainbow of gore and headed strait for a single digit visserage. And then? Suddenly, you disappeared! Nothing heard of you by anyone until I finally regain contact with my beloved Starfire."

She leaned over the couch again. "You see, if I _wanted_ to ruin you, I wouldn't even have to tell precious Prince Elfangor. Though I could. And he'd believe me easily. I wouldn't even have to tell her 'titan' friends. Though, I could do that, too. And while they may not _initially_ believe me, they'll believe the proof under their noses. But I don't have to do that, Fizzy. All I have to do, to dry you up once and forever, is tell _her_. But I won't. Not if I don't have to. Because both you and I know that it would _ruin_ her."

Phyzzon swallowed nervously and turned Starfire's eyes away from her sister's leering face. Blackfire laughed and pulled back. "I must ask, for I am _morbidly_ curious. Why the sudden turn around in attitude?"

"I met your sister," he said quietly.

Blackfire scowled. "Whatever you say, Fizzy."

"Fizzy?" Robin asked, re-entering the room. Blackfire glanced between him and the stiff and nervous Phyzzon. She grinned widely, and Phyzzon did not trust those teeth as far as he could throw them. "Childhood nickname," Blackfire finally said.

"Oh." Robin continued on his way.

Blackfire flew immediately to his side. "Robin!" she cried, grabbing on to his arm and pulling herself close to him.

He hesitated. "Yes, Blackfire?"

"I just wanted to say that I know everyone is feeling pretty morose and could use some cheering up. I have _just_ the idea…"

\-- --

Starfire sat alone on the roof of the warehouse club. Well, as alone as she could be. <You are sad. Do you wish to leave?> asked Phyzzon.

Starfire sighed. "Perhaps I do not belong here afterall."

"Of course, you don't!" Robin interrupted, surprising the two of them. "You belong down there having fun with the rest of us." He closed the stairway door behind him. "What's wrong?"

Starfire forced a smile. "Nothing is wrong!" she said quickly as he came to sit next to her. "Everything is wonderful! The pounding music and blinding light is quite enjoyable!"

Robin stared at her. <That… may not have been your most convincing performance,> said Phyzzon.

Starfire pouted. "Everything is not wonderful," she admitted. "I am happy to see her, but Blackfire _rules_ the video games, and she is able to share very depressing poems, _and_ she knows the cool moves, and she always knows when people are not talking about shovels!" She sighed again. "And I am nothing like her."

<That is not a bad thing,> Phyzzon reassured her, attempting to encourage her endorphins.

Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "No, you're not, and I think--"

But they were interrupted by one of the rusty roof windows being forced open. "How do I look?" asked Blackfire, floating up to meet them in a party wig that vaguely resembled her sister's hair.

<Let us vaporize her.>

<PHYZZON!> Starfire chastised him, trying not to show her amusement.

<I was kidding! Mostly…>

"Pink," Robin grunted. "Look, can you give us a minute here?"

Blackfire scowled at them. The music below changed and so did her expression. "Oh! I love this song!" she gasped and immediately flew forward to grab Robin. They disappeared again through the window opening.

Robin shoved at her as soon as his feet were on the ground, and she released him. "Blackfire, I know you're a little…" He couldn't think of a word that wasn't insulting. "But your sister and I were in a conversation."

"And now we're dancing!" she said, bobbing her arms and hips around him.

"You can dance," he said, pushing away from her. "Have fun. I need to go look after Starfire.

He headed back toward the stairs, but she pulled at his arm. It kind of hurt. "Where are you going?" she whined. "Stay and talk to me!"

"I'm going to make sure that Starfire's okay!" he insisted.

That was when Cyborg was thrown through a wall next to them. Robin hurried over. "What's going on!" Robin demanded.

"Remember that thing that attacked Star? It had friends!" Cyborg pulled himself to his feet and ran back through the hole, into the fray.

Robin hurried after him, but noticed that he was alone. He turned back to Blackfire, who was backing slowly away. "Didn't you hear him?" Robin demanded angrily. "Your sister needs help!"

Blackfire donned a look of horror. "But! But if they're Yeerks--! Shouldn't I go get You-Know-Who back to the ship? That's why they've come isn't it?"

Robin scowled. What made her so sure this was Yeerks? There was a lot of alien activity around major cities, and the sisters were proof of that. But she had a point. He nodded and ordered, "Okay, go! We'll keep them busy."

Blackfire nodded with a broad grin and immediately flew off toward Titans Tower.

Starfire shrieked as she was thrown into a garbage bin and hauled off by the flying robots as Robin ran outside. He threw a birdarang with precision and sliced off two of the tentacles holding the bin, dropping Star to the ground. "Teen Titans: Go!" he shouted.

Beast Boy transformed into a jaguar and began leaping around, biting at the three robots. Raven summoned her magics, and Cyborg shot more blasts. Robin hurried to help Starfire out of the garbage bin. He pulled a banana peel off her head. "Are you okay?"

She was very nearly crying from the frustrations of the day. "I don't know that I can do this," she moaned.

<Then allow me,> Phyzzon said, and her eyes and palms began to glow as she lifted up again. <I've got enough fury for the both of us.>

Robin stepped back in surprise as Starfire flew off suddenly, racing after the robots. She rallied them with starbolts. "Go away!" she screamed. "Go away and never come back! I do not wish to see you again!"

A robot finally exploded. Phyzzon noted where that strike had hit and carefully aimed at the next one. It exploded, too. As did the third.

They lowered to the ground. "Wow, Starfire, that was amazing!" Cyborg cheered as her friends caught up to her. Her heart swelled with joy again, and Phyzzon retreated back in her mind, knowing he was no longer needed.

"Yeah, that was… quite the sudden change," Robin mumbled. He was looking at her funny.

"How did you do that?" Beat Boy demanded.

"Well… uh… I…"

That was when a tentacle smacked her friends aside and pulled her onto an awaiting hovercraft. Robin shouted and ran after her. He leaped with all his might, but he missed her foot entirely. The hovercraft quickly zoomed off into the distance.

One alien sealed her into an energy container. "Prepare to leave Earth orbit," said the pilot. "We have the Tamaranean girl."

"Once we return to Centauri, you will pay for what you have done!" said her captor.

"Nobody's taking her away!" Robin cried from the back of a pterodactyl. He dropped down onto the ship, and Beast Boy turned back to get Cyborg. Raven was already flying after them, barely able to keep up by levitation power alone. "My friend stays here!"

He dodged fire from her captor who turned to shoot toward him some more, backing him up against Starfire's cell. As the captor attempted a blow to his head, Robin dodged and delivered a blow to the captor's inner elbow, causing a momentary shortage in the cybernetic armor.

The captor backed up, steadied himself, then fired a tentacle again. When Robin dodged, the tentacle hit one of the ship's engines, debilitating the ship and the alien. The pilot was forced to land them on the beach, as Robin freed Starfire from captivity, leaping away with her as the others caught up.

"Robin! Star! Are you okay!"

The aliens approached them, and Robin raised his fists. "Titans, get ready."

"In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire," the captor said, pulling a badge for his armor to show to them. "You are all under arrest!"

The five Titans gaped in horror. "Uh, you can't be the good guys," said Beast Boy. "We're the good guys."

"And we are Centauri police."

The pilot approached. "The Tamaranean girl is a liar and a thief!" He pointed accusingly at Starfire. "She has committed high crimes throughout the entire Centauri system!"

Starfire looked to Robin. "I have never even been to the Centauri moons!"

Robin looked down at her necklace. He reached out to pull it off. "But I know someone who has."

Starfire's heart broke. She wasn't sure that she could handle this. <As you wish,> said Phyzzon.

"The girl you want is called Blackfire," said Robin. "And we know exactly where to find her if you can help us detect her ship."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely mademoisellePlume, who helped choose Phyzzon's name, based on General Phy'zzon from comics canon, a Tamaranean man that Starfire was once romantically married to. While he is not the /same/ character, this reference was a basis for constructing their relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello, Blackfire," said Phyzzon, soaring up in front of her and crossing Starfire's arms angrily.

"Awe, is Fizzles angry at me again?" she laughed.

"We both are," answered Starfire. "You are a criminal, and you were going to have us take your place in jail!"

"Oh…" Blackfire looked around, trying to figure out the best maneuver for dodging her sister. "Well… yeah." 

"Why did you abandon your ship?" Phyzzon demanded.

"Because when he figured out that I was taking him to the middle school and not out of the atmosphere, he decided to handle things the Andalite way," Blackfire scoffed. "It was sort of messy."

<The-- Phyzzon, what does she mean?>

<Nevermind. Keep going,> he said, boosting her confidence with a cocktail of hormones and nerve signals.

Starfire shoved a finger at her sister's chest. "You will give back what you have stolen and turn yourself over to the police!"

Blackfire shoved her hand aside. "And what will _you_ do if I don't?" She blasted Starfire with violet energy, sending her sister tumbling through the clouds. She laughed. "I always was the better fighter."

"Not anymore," Phyzzon growled, soaring back up to meet her. Starfire gracefully dodged an assault of violet blasts as Phyzzon gathered energy in her right hand. He blasted Blackfire's hand, causing her to recoil in pain and pause her attack. By the time she recovered, a green tentacle wrapped around her.

"Blackfire of Tamaran," said the captor, "you are under arrest."

\-- --

Starfire descended into the woods where they'd found Blackfire's ship abandoned, before Starfire had spotted her in the sky and took off after her. "But what does she mean he 'handled things the Andalite way'?" she asked aloud.

Cyborg quickly stepped between her and the ship. "You don't want to go in there," he said.

"But it is my sister's spacecraft," she said. "There might be clues about where--"

"We know," said Robin. "That's why we went inside. He's in there, Star."

Starfire began to protest, but Phyzzon cut her off. <Starfire, the Andalite military has had a policy of ritual suicide since the infestation of Alloran-Semitur-Corass.>

"Oh…" she said sadly.

<I am sorry. I should have warned you. But I thought that, if he was going to, he would have already. He must have been holding out for something, waiting until things were the most dire,> Phyzzon explained. <You must understand how important it is to them that no Andalite is ever infested again.>

<If Alloran-Semitur-Corrass is an Andalite-Controller, then…>

<His Yeerk, Esplin 9466, has the ability to morph. That was likely him you saw at the construction site. The monster.>

"I want to go home," Starfire said sadly.

Robin nodded. "Let's go."

"No, wait!" she said suddenly remembering. "Blackfire said that she attempted taking him to the middle school! We have to find out what is happening there!"

The other Titans exchanged glances, then nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

\-- --

"That window is ajar," Robin said, pointing as they flew over the middle school. Starfire lowered him to the ground, and he looked in. Beast Boy landed with Cyborg behind him, and Raven floated to the ground.

Starfire followed Robin in through the window as he hurried to the door and peaked out into the hall. He quickly pulled back inside. "There are people running," he said, turning to see Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven attempting to pull Cyborg inside the window.

"Ow!" Cyborg cried as he fell to the floor. "Don't they know there's no running in the halls?" he quipped.

"Running from where?" asked Raven.

"That's just it," said Robin. "There's dozens of people fleeing from a janitor's closet."

The Titans exchanged confused looks. "How is that possible?"

A horse with a burnt flank ran past the door with someone clinging to it desperately.

"What is a janitor?" asked Starfire.

Robin frowned. "We need to check this out. Now." He ran down the hall, and they followed after him. There were less people coming out as they hurried toward the janitor's closet. No sooner were they upon it than a blond girl ran smack into Beast Boy, the two of them being sent sprawling across the tile floor. Her face was a disaster of leathery gray flesh and tusk-like teeth.

"What?" Beast Boy demanded.

She immediately scrambled to her feet and ran away, and he would have run after her were it not for the roar of a tiger in the distance. Starfire pulled Beast Boy aside before a gorilla, cradling its own guts, could run into him. It took off down a hall and presumably out of the school. "Do they have a whole zoo down there?!" Beast Boy demanded.

"Andalites!" Starfire realized. "Andalites morph! They must be acquiring Earth animal forms! Which means that the door goes to a Yeerk pool, and they are sabotaging it!"

Raven started to take off after the gorilla. "Then we need to help that gorilla!"

"No!" said Starfire. "They will heal when they demorph! This is more very important! The hosts may be down there!"

Another roar, but Starfire ignored it and dove into the entry way, Beast Boy right behind her as a cheetah. A second later, they were running back out, a tiger with a flaming tail right on their heels, soon followed by a particularly eager Taxxon-Controller. Starfire and Beast Boy quickly slammed the door shut on the Taxxon as the tiger took off down the hall. "NICE OF YOU TO HELP!" Cyborg yelled after it.

"SCREEEEE!" said the Taxxon, clawing at the door. "SCREET SCRAAAAAAY SCREEEEEEEEEE!"

"If the room is burning, maybe we should let it out," said Raven.

"It is not screaming about fire! It is screaming it wants to eat us!" Starfire translated, and, immediately, Raven used magic to reinforce the door.

"Uh, Starfire?" said Robin. "How do you speak Taxxon?"

Starfire blushed. "Um, well…"

"What are we going to do about this?" Beast Boy demanded.

Cyborg looked over the area, taking scans. "The structure seems sound. Whatever the Andalites did, it wasn't much."

"Are you saying we should _go home_?" Beast Boy demanded angrily.

Raven turned to Robin. "I, too, don't approve of this increase in retreats." She glanced at the door. "Leaving bodies behind."

"We know where they are now," said Robin. "We know there are other Andalites here. That's enough to regroup and think of a new strategy, but we're on losing grou--"

"This way!" someone shouted in the distance.

Robin grabbed his friends and pulled them down the hall. "Come on! We can't let the Hero-Controllers find out we were here."

Starfire looked longingly at the door before following. "This is not right," she whispered.

<I am so sorry,> Phyzzon whispered back.

\-- --

Starfire landed on the roof of the Tower as the others were already heading inside. As she started to walk in after them, Robin said, "Great job out there today, Fizzy."

Starfire stopped in her tracks, Phyzzon pulled back into the furtherest corner of her mind. She turned to Robin. "Why would you call me that?"

"Your sister said it was a nickname. This morning? When you two were talking?" he said, approaching her carefully.

"Oh…" she said quietly. "I… I am sorry. I was very sleepy then. I did not remember."

Robin reached out and touched her arm gently. "Starfire… Is there something you want to tell me?"

She looked at the ground. Tears brimmed up in her eyes. She did not want this. She did not want to face hatred, repulsion, and fury in the eyes of her friends. "I just… I like having a friend. Who is always there. And always honest. And loves me for who I am."

There was a long moment of silence. She began to wonder if Robin would ever answer. She looked over at him. He wasn't looking at her. He had his arms stretched behind his head, and he was looking up at the stars. He was thinking. Finally, he turned back to her. "Friends," he said.

"What?"

"You said 'friend,'" he answered. "But you don't have one. You have five. Who all love you." He patted her arm again. "Come on, let's go inside."

"Are you going to tell them?" she asked.

Robin hesitated. "I don't have anything to say, Star. You haven't told me anything. We all have things we want to keep private, for various reasons. If and when you want to talk about them, that's up to you." He then went inside.

<Did he say you had five friends?> asked Phyzzon.

A slow smile spread across Starfire's face, and she began to float above the rooftop, her heart feeling lighter than it had been all week. <Yes,> she replied. <Yes, he did.>

Robin caught up with the Titans as they waited for the elevator by the command room to meet them. Just as Starfire flew inside, a phone rang.

Beast Boy looked curiously toward the command room door. "Is someone calling _us_? With an actual phone?"

Starfire landed. "You don't think we were seen, do you?"

"If we were going to be infested against our will, I doubt they'd call ahead," said Raven.

Cyborg walked into the room and picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said. After a moment, he called out to them, "Does anyone know a Loren?"

They all glanced at each other, then shook their heads.

"Sorry," he told the phone. "Someone must have dialed a wrong number. Sorry for the inconvenience." He hung up.

Starfire frowned. "Who does Blackfire even know on Earth?"

Robin shrugged. "Loren, apparently." And Beast Boy laughed as the elevator finally came up to meet them. But, before entering, Robin took one glance back at the command room and the blue stains on the floor.


End file.
